La casa de las muertas vivientes

I watched this film last night and was absolutely astonished by it - so you can imagine my surprise when I saw two bad reviews as its only representation here on IMDb. Firstly if you are the type of person who expects there to be graphically gruesome gory killing every 5 minutes then I have two things to say to you: 1. you will be disappointed by this and 2. why in the world are you watching a movie like this?!

If however you are a fan of this period of Spanish/Italian horror films - you know who you are and you know what you want - this movie delivers in spades. It's got a creepy Gothic castle, very unusual spacey Spanish babes (a la Helga Line or Rosalba Neri), strange sexual relationships, a supernatural element, and all the ingredients that make you love these things.

A newlywed couple arrives back at his castle which he shares with his butterfly taxidermying sister and overly flirty stepmother. The new bride find out the the old bride didn't die exactly the way it was explained to her and soon new bodies start piling up. Great performances all around, and nice location, photography and direction make this a high note in the Spanish Giallo Horror subgenre.

I found this gallio to be very mediocre, although I also saw a dubbed washed out copy which isn't ideal, the real problem lies in the telling of the story itself which in my opinion is so obvious it makes the movie more like a bad soap opera with great sets.

There are also silly elements like flashing the suspects photos on the screen more than once, suggesting this was some sort of Beta Max home movie version of the board game Clue (and yes such a thing exists except on VHS in the 1980s). I honestly couldn't shake the feeling of watching a poor attempt at Cluedo.

This is not the worst giallo I've ever seen but it's forgettable.

Hardcore giallo fans will dig this slow burner more than anyone else. Present are genre staples such as a black-gloved killer, insanely gorgeous women, and a twisty murder mystery at its core; however, it's light on blood, dialogue-heavy, and set mostly in a mansion. Don't let that scare you away, though. The cast is solid, characters are interesting, the mystery engaging, and the mansion adds a menacing gothic atmosphere to it all. One year after the death of his first wife, Oliver Bartrom returns to his family property to start a life with his new wife Ruth. Problem is, they aren't alone. Along with the maid and shady groundskeeper, Oliver's hostile sister and horny jealous stepmother live there too, and both are embittered over the sketchy circumstances of the first wife's death. Needless to say, Ruth isn't exactly feeling the Bartrom family love; the stepmother is obsessed with Oliver, forever trying to seduce him - and his reclusive sister hates everyone for reasons I won't spoil for you. Almost immediately, bizarre things start happening to Ruth, and a menace in black gloves stalks the grounds trying to take everyone out. In fear for her life and love, Ruth tries to uncover the sinister truth behind what really happened to Oliver's first wife.

In early 2017, American eurocult label Dorado Films released Night of the Scorpion on blu-ray via 2K scan of a 35mm print. Due to their small operation and relative obscurity of their titles, Dorado doesn't drop dollars on digital cleaning or color correction, presenting films "as is" with specs, scratches and glorious grain. I kinda like this decision as it adds a gritty filmic charm to the viewing experience. Collectors and connoisseurs of giallo cinema should track down this one down.

This Spanish-Italian co-production tells the story of a man who feels deep guilt for the death of his wife: He, an alcoholic, is convinced that he accidentally caused her lethal fall in their villa while he was drunk. He finds a new wife, but he's incapable of coping with his first wife's death. Moreover, the maid and his sister don't seem to accept the new woman in the household. After some time, suddenly bodies are piling up ... and the tomb of the man's first wife is empty!

The plot may sound interesting, but the whole film proceeds too slow: The first hour of the film (two thirds of the running time) is more relationship drama than Giallo horror. It's also tediously talky, and the only thing delivered in this first hour is some nudity. Then, suddenly, the film becomes a standard Giallo with a razor swinging gloved killer murdering almost everybody the tormented man has contact with. Is there a razor wielding ghost in the house? The solution to all this isn't very convincing either.

Even though the final 30 minutes make up for the first hour, it's still a rather boring film as a whole that doesn't really deliver. Interesting for Giallo and Italian horror completists only.

Starting with a beautiful opening credit sequence, the viewer knows that they are in for a classic Giallo. This is perfect midnight viewing. It looks great, has a good soundtrack and has a plot which actually makes sense and keeps the viewer guessing until the end.

The whole movie takes place almost in one location, a grand Spanish mansion, which gives it a claustrophobic atmosphere.

There are also a bevy of Spanish beauties, all of them give great performances.

This movie relies more on suspense than shocks, but there are moments of blood as the body count slowly rises.

The best print is the Spanish language version with English subtitles.